Department of Biological Sciences, Kongju National University, (32588) Room 204, 56, Kongjudaehak-Ro, Kongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do, 32588, Republic of Korea.
Sci Rep. 2024 May 2;14(1):10137. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-60105-7.
Gut microbiota impact host physiology, though simultaneous investigations in ectothermic vertebrates are rare. Particularly, amphibians may exhibit more complex interactions between host physiology and the effects of gut microbiota due to the combination of seasonal changes and complex life histories. In this study, we assessed the relationships among food resources, gut bacterial communities, and host physiology in frogs (Phelophylax nigromaculatus), taking into account seasonal and life history variations. We found that food sources were not correlated with physiological parameters but had some relationships with the gut bacterial community. Variations in gut bacterial community and host physiology were influenced by the combined effects of seasonal differences and life history, though mostly driven by seasonal differences. An increase in Firmicutes was associated with higher fat content, reflecting potential fat storage in frogs during the non-breeding season. The increase in Bacteroidetes resulted in lower fat content in adult frogs and decreased immunity in juvenile frogs during the breeding season, demonstrating a direct link. Our results suggest that the gut microbiome may act as a link between food conditions and physiological status, and that the combined effect of seasons and life history could reinforce the relationship between gut microbiota and physiological status in ectothermic animals. While food sources may influence the gut microbiota of ectotherms, we contend that temperature-correlated seasonal variation, which predominately influences most ectotherms, is a significant factor.
肠道微生物群影响宿主生理，但在变温脊椎动物中同时进行的研究很少。特别是由于季节性变化和复杂的生活史的结合，两栖动物可能表现出宿主生理和肠道微生物群的影响之间更复杂的相互作用。在这项研究中，我们考虑到季节性和生活史的变化，评估了食物资源、肠道细菌群落和青蛙（黑斑蛙）宿主生理之间的关系。我们发现食物来源与生理参数没有相关性，但与肠道细菌群落有一些关系。肠道细菌群落和宿主生理的变化受到季节性差异和生活史的综合影响，尽管主要是由季节性差异驱动的。厚壁菌门的增加与脂肪含量的增加有关，这反映了青蛙在非繁殖季节可能有潜在的脂肪储存。Bacteroidetes 的增加导致成蛙脂肪含量降低，繁殖季节幼蛙免疫力下降，这表明存在直接联系。我们的研究结果表明，肠道微生物组可能是食物条件和生理状态之间的联系，季节和生活史的综合影响可能会加强变温动物肠道微生物组和生理状态之间的关系。虽然食物来源可能会影响变温动物的肠道微生物群，但我们认为，与温度相关的季节性变化是一个重要因素，这种变化主要影响大多数变温动物。
